Sarah Armour: Devoted patron was known as 'matriarch' of Lyric Opera

Sarah Armour, the elegant arts patron who generously supported Lyric Opera of Chicago since its inception in 1954, took her responsibilities as a board member seriously.

Throughout the 1950s Mrs. Armour accompanied Lyric's founding general manager, Carol Fox, on visits to Europe to recruit singers. As a Lyric patron for the next half-century, Mrs. Armour became known for offering her honest opinions on productions to ensure Lyric became a world-renowned opera company.

"She was very knowledgeable and very outspoken," said William Mason, Lyric's general director.

"If she didn't like a particular tenor, she would tell you," added Mason, with a laugh. "Beyond the financial contributions, she gave her energy, dedication and emotional commitment."

Mrs. Armour, 98, who also supported the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Ravinia Festival, died at her Lake Forest home Thursday, Aug. 26, of complications from a stroke, said her son, Whitney Addington.

She was born as Sarah Wood in 1912 in the Panama Canal Zone, one of five children of Mary Butler Hardwick and Gen. Robert Wood, while he was stationed there for the U.S. Army. After World War I, Wood returned to civilian life and moved his family to Illinois, where he eventually became chairman of Sears, Roebuck and Co.

The Woods were an opera-loving family. Her father was a Lyric board member and ardent fundraiser who took Sarah to her first opera when she was just 8. In a Lyric opera publication, Mrs. Armour remembered that the opera was "Lohengrin" by her favorite composer, Richard Wagner. The setting was Ravinia.

Mrs. Armour began playing piano at an early age. After high school, she continued piano study in Rome and entered adulthood as an accomplished pianist. When Mrs. Armour started her own family, she instilled in her children the same love of opera and classical music. At bedtime in their Lake Forest home, her son said, the three children were cued to bed by Mrs. Armour's piano renditions.

"We marched to bed, and she usually played a Schubert march," Addington said. "She also took us to children's concerts of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. So, our love of music, it was almost genetic."

Mrs. Armour's first marriage to James Addington ended in divorce. In 1967, she married Andrew Watson Armour III, part of the Armour meatpacking family who went on to lead the Huck Manufacturing Co. Armour strongly supported his wife's commitment to the arts.

Mrs. Armour's musical education and training prepared her well for her role as a Lyric patron in 1954. The following year, Mrs. Armour founded Lyric's Women's Board. In her years of service to Lyric, she was a dedicated life member of the board of directors, past member of the executive committee, a subscriber for 55 consecutive years, and sponsor of 13 Lyric productions.

In a statement on her passing, the Lyric called Mrs. Armour "one of the most well-versed aficionados of opera and classical music of her era. … She was a legend in her own time."

In addition to her Lyric support, Armour was a life trustee of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and sponsor of the Ravinia Festival.

As her health worsened in recent months and she became unable to attend concerts, the symphony honored Mrs. Armour by allowing her to attend orchestra rehearsals at Ravinia.

CSO President Deborah Rutter said Mrs. Armour is the largest individual donor in the symphony's history. But Rutter said Mrs. Armour's enduring legacy will be her humor and passion for the arts. In 2008, as discussions were taking place on hiring conductor Ricardo Muti, Rutter said Mrs. Armour peppered her for details.

"I remember her really quizzing me about Ricardo Muti and asking, 'What's going on with him? What's going on with Muti?'"

"She really was someone who was passionate about music and a remarkable woman," Rutter said.

Mrs. Armour's survivors include her son and 10 grandchildren. Mrs. Armour's two other children, Kenne Addington and Anne Addington, are deceased.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit at 400 E. Westminster Ave., Lake Forest.